Insulated container



Jan, 24, 1961 w. L. MORRISON INSULATED CONTAINER Filed Nov. 21, 1958Illllll IN V EN TOR.

0 Q 0 O goo @004Go o@ l I I I I l I 1 l. l, l I l l l I I l l 1iNsULArED CoNTAINER Willard L. Morrison, Lake Forest, Ill., assigner, bymesne assignments, to Liquefreeze Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., acorporation of New York Filed Nov. 21, 195s, ser. No. 775,516

s claims. (ci. zzo-9) This invention relates to improvements ininsulated receptacles. .l v

One object is to provide a container forfshipmentor storage of frozenfood and the like wherein the insulating effect is uniform regardless ofchanges in the relative inside and outside temperatures.

Another object is to provide an insulated container well adapted toreceive and protect material, frozen to ternperatures hundreds ofdegrees F. below zero.

Another object is to provide an insulating system for a container wherewide temperature variations will have no deleterious effect on thecontainer, the insulation or the resistance to heat flow between thecontents of the container and the ambient outside temperature conditionsto which the container is exposed.

Another object is to provide a container which can be easily, rapidly,cheaply manufactured and erected with a minimum of skilled labor.

Another object is to provide a portable shipper container which may beassembled with wide tolerances and wherein expansion and contraction ofthe insulation responsive to change in temperature of the contents, orresponsive to differential inside and outside temperature have no illeffect on the receptacle, its contents or its insulating value.

For convenience, the invention is illustrated as applied to a portableshipper container but it is equally well adapted to fixed storageinstallations, freight cars, automotive truck bodies, ships orairplanes.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawing, wherein- Figure l is a half section through acontainer with the insulation warm:

Figure 2 is a half section through a container with the insulation cold;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a section along the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specificationand drawings.

The container includes a housing having bottom wall 1, side walls 2 andapertured top wall 3. The walls may be of metal, wood, or any otherdesired material.

Loosely contained within the housing, generally parallel to the wallsare insulating bottom and side slabs 4, 5, of dyalite or similargenerally rigid self-supporting insulating material. Inside the spacedetined by these slabs or panels is a liner 6, apertured in registerwith the aperture in the top wall 3 of the housing. The distances on allsides between the liner 6 and the housing walls is greater than thethickness of the insulating slabs, there being substantial clearancebetween the opposed walls. Close, accurate fitting is neither needed nordesired.

A flexible non-heat conductive, preferably fabric sleeve 7 isco-extensive in horizontal cross section with the registering aperturesin the tops of liner and housing, is anchored along its lower end to theliner and along its upper end to the housing. A removable insulatingdoor 8 closes both apertures.

. Patented Jamais@ .of the slabs and the walls and between opposed slabstirfaces.

The space Varound the sleeve 7 nand between lthe walls of housing andliner may, especially.` if the"'s"labs, l9 are used, be somewhat largerthan that between the other opposed walls to serve as a reservoir yforVthe granular, easy flowing material. There will always be easy. accessbetween the reservoir space and the otherspaces between the walls sothat the space between the walls will be f'supplied by a gravity dropproviding a head. of the Santocel uto make sure that this insulationwill flow into all the clearances and completely fill them. Such lillingofall clearances is essential to insure effectiv'eins'ulation andinhibit convection air currents in all the spaces between the opposedwalls. v l

The housing of the shipper container is first 'assembled with an opentop. The floor slabsare then put in position. The wall slabs rest on thefloor Vslabs contacting the housing walls. The liner is then inserted,resting upon the oor slabs rand surrounded by the wall slabs. ,v'lfliehousing -is then closed, the fabric sleeve is put in place joining theopen top of the liner and the apertured 'to'p of the housing, leavingthe wall slabs loosely contained in the space between the housing andliner walls.

The flexible sleeve somewhat longer axially than the distance betweenthe housing and the liner will be installed and not being in tension,will be slightly upset and loose.

The powdered Santocel is then poured into the top of the housing throughfiller openings covered by the plugs 10. This insulation runs down intoand fills all the clearances above, below and on both sides of thedyalite insulating slabs 4 and 5. Thus it completely l'ills the spacebetween the liner and the outer walls. The filler openings may also beused for replenishing Santocel after use if that becomes necessary.

The area lat the top of the housing will contain a suiicient supply ofSantocel to compensate for expansion and contraction and flow up or downof Santocel or other powdered insulation resulting from thermal change.

When the temperature of the liner and its contents are reduced,especially to very low temperatures as, for example, temperatures farbelow zero degrees F., the inner surfaces of the slabs are cooled morethan the outer. The slabs warp, as shown in Figure 2. Because theclearance between the liner and the housing is very great, this warpaing takes place without interference, but changes the shape of theclearance spaces. The Santocel flows into and out of such spaces above,below, and on both sides of the slabs and keeps all clearances filled toinsure adequate insulation.

When at some later date, the contents of the shipper container rises intemperature and the slabs of dyalite resume their original shape, theSantocel again Hows just as would water, returning in the main to itsoriginal position.

I claim:

1. In an insulated container, a plurality of walls detining aself-supporting, generally rigid housing, a selfsupporting, generallyrigid liner fioating therein, the walls of liner and housing beingspaced apart, a plurality of generally rigid self-supporting, insulatingpanels loosely contained within and of lesser thickness than the spacebetween the walls of housing and liner, a mass of freely owing granularmaterial loosely and owably lling the clearances between the panels andbetween them and the liner and housing walls.

2. In an insulated container, a plurality of walls dening aself-supporting, generally rigid housing, a Yselfsupporting, generallyrigid liner oating therein, the walls of liner and housing being spacedapart, a plurality o' generally rigid selfsupporting, insulating panelsloosely contained within and of lesser thickness than the space betweenthe walls of housing and liner, a mass of freely flowing granularmaterial loosely and ilowably filling the clearances between the panelsand between them and the liner and housing walls, the panels and thegranular material furnishing the sole means for positioning the linerwithin the housing.

3. In an insulated container, a plurality of walls dening aself-supporting, generally rigid housing, a selfsupporting, generallyrigid liner oating therein, the walls of liner and housing being spacedapart, a plurality of generally rigid self-supporting, insulating panelsloosely contained within and of lesser thickness than the space betweenthe walls of housing and liner, a mass of freely owing granular materialloosely and flowably filling the clearances between the panels andbetween them and the liner and housing walls, the liner and housing haveapertured registering top walls, a loose exible sleeve attached to linerand housing encircling the apertures.

4. In an insulated container, a plurality of walls defining aself-supporting, generally rigid housing, a selfsupporting, generallyrigid liner oating therein, the walls of liner and housing being spacedapart, a plurality of generally rigid self-supporting, insulating panelsloosely contained within and of lesser thickness than the space betweenthe walls of housing and liner, a mass of freely owing granular materialloosely and flowably filling the clearances between the panels andbetween them and the liner and housing walls, the liner and housinghaving apertured registering top walls, a loose exible sleeve attachedto liner and housing encircling the apertures, the top walls of linerand housing being spaced apart, the space between them bounded on theouter periphery by the wall of the housing and on the inner periphery bythe sleeve dening a reservoir filled with the granular material and opento the spaces between the housing and liner side walls.

5. In an insulated container, a plurality of walls delining aself-supporting, generally rigid housing, a selfsupporting, generallyrigid liner floating therein, the walls of liner and housing beingspaced apart, a plurality of generally rigid self-supporting, insulatingpanels loosely contained within and of lesser thickness than the spacebetween the walls of housing and liner, a mass of freely owing granularmaterial loosely and owably filling the clearances between the panelsand between them and the liner and housing walls, the liner and housinghaving apertured registering top walls, a loose ilexible sleeve attachedto liner and housing encircling the apertures, the slabs and thegranular material furnishing the sole means for positioning the linerwithin the housing.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,561,937 Kilius Nov. 17, 1925 2,231,216 Nystrom Feb. l1, 1941 2,724,494Gra Nov. 22, 1955

